The Indiana Pacers were facing off against conference rival the Toronto Raptors at home. It was late in the second quarter with only 4 minutes remaining when the all star guard Victor Oladipo went down with what seemed like a serious knee injury.
Oladipo had to be carried off in a stretcher to the locker room as trainers didn’t want him to put any weight on it. The Pacers eventually won the game despite this major blow to the team.
Oladipo’s rise to stardom wasn’t an easy one. Last year, Oladipo won Most Improved Player, an award given to signify the league taking notice of his hard work on the court. Several NBA players, celebrities and media figures reached out to show support for him after his brutal injury. LeBron James and James Harden were among the players who tweeted messages of support.
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Myles Turner, a longtime teammate of Oladipo, had this to say about his injury: “Vic’s obviously in our prayers and the whole city of Indianapolis, hopefully he’s in their prayers as well.”
While the the tests that are being run on Oladipo’s knee aren’t finished, sources say the Pacers fear Oladipo suffered a season-ending injury, making the Pacers’ mission to get to the finals seem even more unlikely.
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Teammate Thaddeus Young was one of the few players to speak on the team’s mindset when Oladipo first went down. ” We just wanted to stick together through thick and thin,” said Young. “Vic going down it, would definitely be tough for us but we wanted to keep fighting for him”
And that they did, as the Pacers came back to win the game. General Manager Kevin Pritchard was impressed with the way the team played in the second half despite Oladipo’s injury right before halftime.
The Pacers are currently sitting in third place of the Eastern Conference, while the Raptors are in second. With last night’s game being a potential playoff matchup, it was definitely a big win for the Pacers, especially considering the loss of their star player.
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